The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
VALANCE
Definition of VALANCE
noun
A short curtain that usually hangs along the top edge of a window.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Middle English valance, valans, valaunce, valence, valons. Origin uncertain. Probably from Anglo-Norman valaunce, valence, from valer (“go down, let down”), aphetic form of Old French avaler (“to descend, go down”).
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
3 recorded generations before English.
Deepest traced root
9th
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
2.9%
of traced words share this origin (860)
branch · 15.5% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, VALANCE · 2 relatives in the game
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
VALANCE in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 38 boards so far. 92 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 23, 12 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 150, 17 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 2 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 23, 12 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
VALANCE starts with V and ends with E. Sorted, its letters read AACELNV - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. A appears more than once.
Words that start VALANC
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 23
Could you have found VALANCE?
OUTLIER is a daily word game. One grid, the same grid for everybody, and the words nobody else spots are the ones that pay. This word was on Day 23 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER